Al-Ittihad 0-1 Al-Ettifaq: Al Ghannam stunner downs 10-man hosts

Al-Ittihad missed the chance to move within a point of the top three in the Saudi Pro League as Khalid Al Ghannam’s second-half strike sealed a 1-0 win for Al-Ettifaq.

The defending league champions also saw goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic sent off late on for a handball outside the box, bringing an end to their six-game unbeaten league run.

Al-Ittihad almost hit the front in stunning fashion, but after Mahamadou Doumbia twisted and turned on the edge of the box, he saw his shot thwarted down low by Marek Rodak.

Al Ghannam then prodded a shot towards goal that was repelled by Predrag Rajkovic before the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper used his feet to deny him again three minutes later.

And Al-Ettifaq took the lead nine minutes after the restart through the lively Al Ghannam, whose stunning curler picked out the top corner following a swift counter-attack.

Karim Benzema led Al-Ittihad’s response as he sent a header narrowly wide before sending a strike over the crossbar, but the hosts’ hopes of a comeback were dented late on.

A long ball over the top saw Mohau Nkota give chase, with Rajkovic rushing out and handling the ball, and eventually handed a red card following a lengthy VAR review.

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Data Debrief: Al-Ettifaq deliver timely blow

After seeing their seven-game unbeaten run snapped by Al-Khaleej last time out, Al-Ettifaq responded in style here to move within two points of Al-Ittihad in the standings.

But Saad Al-Shehri’s side were made to work for their win, having registered an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.52 from their six shots to Al-Ittihad’s 1.04 from 15 attempts.

And while Al Ghannam, who ended the match with team-high totals for shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (five), will receive plaudits for his display, Moussa Dembele also played his part. He won more duels (10), had more successful dribbles (four) and won more aerial duels (four) than any other Al-Ettifaq player.

For Al-Ittihad, the same problems continued to persist. They have now failed to win any of their last six matches when conceding first in the Saudi League, since a victory over Al Raed on May 15, 2025.